# 1 Santee Canal: N. Lake Moultrie Trail — Rated: Moderate, 6.4 Miles

Summary:With its inception in 1796, the Santee Canal offers a lot for the keen history buff. One of the engineers was none other than General George Washington! The original canal was 22 miles in length, but after Lake Moultrie was formed, there remains a beautiful 2.5-mile section of the canal.

Difficulty: Moderate, due to crossing open water

Distance: 6.4 miles, round-trip

Time: 3- 4 hours, minimum

Crowds: Very light; could see boaters/anglers. Almost guaranteed not to see anyone else in the canal.

Precautions: Winds above 10 MPH can be tough for a paddler on Lake Moultrie. There is a lot of open water for wind to intensify and cause waves/whitecaps. There are hundreds of tree stumps just inches below the water’s surface. These can flip a paddler if a boat gets wedged on top. Tip: these stumps can usually be seen with polarized sunglasses.

Photo Gallery

Angel’s Landing Campground, Pineville, SC.

Looking north into the entrance of the Santee Canal.

Other-worldly looking, but beautiful Golden Lotus seed pods on the paddle to the Santee Canal!

Looking north into the Santee Canal.

Adult Ibis on the eastern shore of North Lake Moultrie, right outside of the entrance to the Santee Canal.